Coconut Fruit Pops

One of the things that amuses us most about being registered dietitians and personal trainers is watching our clients expressions when we tell them that we have a sweet tooth. They figure that just because we eat a healthy diet, exercise and love veggies that we automatically must just not like sweets. Ha! If only!

We love chocolate and especially gravitate towards sweets that are cold or hot. In fact, we joke about being single-handedly (or double 😉 ) responsible for putting a frozen yogurt shop out of business when we were in high school and our friend worked at the shop and hooked us up with free frozen yogurt. We practically lived there! 😉

And although these are spectacular any time of year, we think these are the perfect way to sport red, white, and blue while enjoying on the 4th of July! This dairy free pop combines strawberries, blueberries, and a coconut milk beverage* so you’ll be ready for the holiday—or to celebrate any occasion!

Coconut Fruit Pops

Makes 4 small pops

Ingredients

1/3 cup frozen blueberries

½ cup frozen strawberries

1/3 cup vanilla coconut milk beverage

2 tsp honey

1 Tbsp unsweetened coconut shavings

*Be sure to use a coconut milk beverage instead of coconut milk from a can, as this has significantly lower calories and they are actually quite different For example, SO Delicious Dairy Free Vanilla Coconut milk has 80 cal per serving (1 cup) and 5 g of fat. Traditional coconut milk from a can has 420 cal per cup and 42 g of fat! Traditional coconut milk is made from pressing the pulp of the coconut, which releases a rich cream. Coconut milk beverage is then made by adding water to the creamy coconut milk and is then usually fortified with vitamins and minerals, such as calcium. The watering down of the coconut cream thus results in less fat!

Directions

1. Let the frozen blueberries and strawberries partially thaw for a couple minutes (we suggest using frozen over fresh because it causes the overall pop to freeze faster and it helps to create a more consistent blend) and dice them into small pieces. (Plus, it’s easier to get berries [and more economical] all year long when they’re frozen. Yep, we enjoy popsicles even in the winter!)

2. Mix together the vanilla coconut milk and honey in a small glass. (Tip: spray the tsp with oil to prevent the honey from sticking!)

3 .Layer the milk mixture with the blueberries and strawberries, sprinkling the coconut shavings in between each layer in the popsicle holders (small cups work fine too!)

Stick the popsicle stick in and place in the freezer for 2 hours, then enjoy!

Let the frozen blueberries and strawberries partially thaw for a couple minutes (we suggest using frozen over fresh because it causes the overall pop to freeze faster and it helps to create a more consistent blend) and dice them into small pieces. (Plus, it’s easier to get berries [and more economical] all year long when they’re frozen. Yep, we enjoy popsicles even in the winter!)

Mix together the vanilla coconut milk and honey in a small glass. (Tip: spray the tsp with oil to avoid prevent the honey from sticking!)

Layer the milk mixture with the blueberries and strawberries, sprinkling the coconut shavings in between each layer, in the popsicle holders (small cups work fine too!)

Stick the popsicle stick in and place in the freezer for 2 hours, then enjoy!